Buy a duck and take it on holiday and raise money for the charity Thames21.org

Take Your Duck On Holiday

We have a challenge for all of our guests who book a holiday with us. Buy a duck from us and take it on your boating holiday with you. We ask that you take a photo of your duck enjoying his or her holiday and put it on Facebook and share it. We ask you send us a copy too. For every photo published on our monthly blog, we will donate £1.00 to the https://www.thames21.org.uk/

We would love to see funny photos, cute photos and photos of the farthest travelled duck. Please give your duck a suitable name and maybe write a short caption too!

We love this photo, what a cute doggie!”

The Ultimate Guide To Boating Holidays On The River Thames

Boating Holidays On The River Thames…

My first introduction to the River Thames was at the age of 13 when Mrs Butler, our inspirational English teacher at school, gave us all a copy of Jerome K Jerome’s ‘Three Men In A Boat’ to read and study. Never have I been so absorbed in a book and remember distinctly laughing out so loud at one of the funny moments in the book, during one of our ‘silent’ reading sessions in class, that I earned the disapproval frown from our revered teacher. Jerome K Jerome’s book was intended as an informative guide book for those wishing to hire a boat on the River Thames and enjoy a River Thames boating holiday. The book provides an insight of the upper reaches of the River Thames, a stretch of the Thames that is still not so well known but is becoming more and more popular for boating holidays in the UK.

The book soon became famous as a novel rather than serving merely as an informative guide. When one reads it, you re-live the 3 character’s experiences with them and their mishaps along the way. It was definitely an inspiration for me and little did I know, it was to sow the seed for a love of the River Thames and the idyllic English countryside and that one day, I would own a fleet of holiday hire boats on the Thames.

So now it’s my turn to try and pass on this inspiration to others and hence this blog. It is by no means anyway in the league of the esteemed writing of Jerome K Jerome, but I am sure there are many of you out there that have had adventures and mishaps and some hilarious moments during your boat cruise on the Thames that you may wish to share on this blog. Maybe you have some recommendations on good places to moor? Or good pubs you discovered en-route? All boaters have a story to tell so why not add your story here?

So….. be brave, get writing. We’d love to hear your tale! Add to this blog and share your experiences.

We’d love to hear about your River Thames boating holiday

RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman Courses River Thames Berkshire

Training Courses – We’ve updated our courses for 2020. Now you can book online.

Boat training Courses on narrow boats and Wide-beam boats.

Now the River Thames is quieter, why not take advantage and learn how to drive a narrow boat in calm waters? This is the ideal time to book some tuition. There is no river traffic and the weather is still warm enough to enjoy the river and learn in a picturesque classroom – the River Thames open air classroom is the perfect environment!

Even if the temperature starts to become cooler, all our boats have fuel burners on board. Tuition is provided on board a 58 ft narrowboat or a 62 ft wide-beam. Now the boating holiday season is in the off peak period, this means we have a greater selection of training vessels to offer your course on.

The course is designed to meet your requirements, as well as complying with the criteria and standards set out by the RYA in order to gain the Helmsman certificate. With plenty of room on the Thames, you can learn and practise more manoeuvres than would otherwise be possible on the narrow canals. If you’re thinking of buying a boat, feel free to ask those all important questions which would help you make the right decisions when purchasing a boat. it can be costly if you get this wrong!

If you’ve already bought a boat, why not book tuition on your own boat and learn its capabilities?

Our students come from all over the world. With a maximum of 3 students on anyone course, there is plenty of opportunity to practise your newly acquired skills in an informal relaxed atmosphere. If you are thinking of buying a boat and require more practise, why not book a practise day? This is a follow up day after your course which enables you to hire a narrowboat from our fleet for the day or a half day and to practise your skills.

We believe in building your confidence and teaching you water safety so that you can enjoy your experience on the water.

Places on our courses are starting to book up so book now and call us on 07780 88 71 72 or email contact@myrivercruising.com

Boating Holidays River Thames – 10% off for narrow boat hire & Boating Holidays on River Thames For bookings made now for October 2017 to April 2018

The sun is shining and the boating holiday season is now off peak so why not book a last minute boating holiday and save 10%? With there being less traffic on the River Thames, it really does feel like you’ve got the whole river to yourself. No queues at the locks, easy mooring with plenty of spaces and you save money too. Next year promises to be an exciting year and already bookings are coming in for narrow boat holidays and wide beam boat holidays. Our new addition of Widebeam boat Georgia as a self drive boating holiday to the fleet has proved to be very popular amongst our guests. Widebeams provide extra living space and are really like mini floating apartments but still easy to drive.

Widebeam Boat Georgia is 62ft by 12ft and can comfortably accommodate 6 persons in luxury and with the addition of the dinette, can accommodate up to a maximum of 8 persons. Our widebeam boat Geanna can accommodate up to a maximum of 11 people, ideal for larger parties or for smaller groups who enjoy luxury on the water. Both widebeam boats Georgia and Geanna are easy to drive and tuition is provided at the start of the holiday by a qualified RYA instructor. The 3 ensuite cabins on Geanna make this perfect self-catering accommodation in Henley-On-Thames for families or friends holidaying together. Why not book Boat Geanna for the Royal regatta or Henley Music festival?

Narrow boat holidays on the Thames make a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Cruise at your own pace alomg some of the most picturesque stretches of the River Thames. This is great holiday for families wishing to spend time together, whether it’s a shortbreak holiday or weekend break or a week’s holiday boat hire.

As a special offer, we are offering 10% off all bookings made between now and 30th April 2018 for boat hire in October 2017 through to April 30th 2018. We are now taking bookings for November 2017. Please call us for further information or you can book direct online.

Welcome to the My River Cruising Blog !

Jane Asher, CEO of MyRiverCruising, is now concentrating on her favourite part of boating, and would like to welcome you to her day trips on board Ginetta.

We hope you will join us and have many hours of happy sailing !

WiFi comes too! River Thames Boat cruises and Boating Holidays on The Thames

Quite often along the rivers and canals of Great Britain, you come across something that makes you smile. Last weekend, whilst visiting our new holiday hire boat ‘Gema’ at Stoke Prior, we saw this little Gem, ‘Duckingham Palace’ complete with it’s own little cannon and soldier standing guard. And so the resident Royals don’t get lost in the dark, it even comes with solar lights, lighting up the Royal entrance!

So, the latest news, hot off the press, is that our new holiday hire boat Gema is nearly ready and will be on her way to us on 5th March! We are really excited with this boat, she will be absolutely amazing with a modern, fresh feel in her interior. Despite not having any photos yet on our website, people are already booking boating holidays on Narrowboat Gema.

Accommodating 8 people, Gema is ideal for larger group bookings or for parties that would like the luxury of extra space whilst on their narrow boat holiday. With 3 cabins that can be made up as twins or doubles, Narrowboat Gema offers flexibility for all different types of social mix, whether it’s a family birthday celebration, a hen party or friends holidaying together.

In response to guest feedback from last year, we have now installed WiFi into all of our holiday Hire Boats On The Thames. This should appeal to our teenager guests especially! Guests can purchase on arrival a 1GB or 2GB simm card and can top up during their holiday. You then get to take the simm card home at the end of your holiday.This is perfect for just checking the emails and finding great places to eat and drink whilst cruising on the Thames.

We are also installing a new Free View TV aerial on Boat Geanna. despite having an expensive state of the Art satellite system on Boat Geanna, it can sometimes be difficult to get a signal from the satellite dish if moored close to trees. I can remember spending hours, trying to move the boat 3 yards, just so the dish can ‘lock’ on to a slither of space between trees to pick up the signal! No more worry now. If we can’t find that perfect mooring spot, then the new omni aerial will be able to take over.

The joys of modern technology!

Dog Friendly Holidays UK – Narrowboat Holidays River Thames Henley-On-Thames Oxfordshire

Blog About A Dog!

We have always found we are unable to enjoy a holiday without our dog Toffee and so always seek pet friendly or dog friendly holidays in the UK

Therefore, it is our policy that dogs are welcome on all of our Boating Holidays on the River Thames and we do not charge for dogs either. It has always been a ‘bug- bear’ that having found the ‘perfect’ Pet Friendly Holiday accommodation, there is an additional charge to take our dog. We stayed at a Travel Lodge Hotel once and the dog cost more than the room rate!

So, to all our four legged friends, you are welcome free of charge on our Dog Friendly Holidays!

Another ‘bug-bear’ of mine, is that when you get to your accommodation, whether it’s a self catering cottage in the UK or Bed and Breakfast, the room that is allocated to us dog owners is usually not the same high standard as the other rooms which are reserved for humans only. Why is this?

Therefore, we have designed all our narrowboats to be of a high standard and instead of carpet on the floors (which can be difficult to maintain) the floors are made from laminate Kardean which is so easy to keep clean and looks fresh and modern. This helps reduce allergens as well.

So, how easy is it to take a dog on a Boating Holiday on the Thames? The answer is, all the dogs we’ve met on our boating holidays have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even those dogs that were afraid of water. During the boat tuition and hand over, we give advice on how to manage ‘lively’ or nervous dogs whilst going through locks and mooring up, where all the humans may be occupied doing ropes etc. By the end of the first day, even the most nervous of dogs has settled in to the rhythm of cruising and settle down. Fortunately, our dog Toffee is very laid back and spends all his time sunbathing on the back deck.

The best part of a narrowboat holiday with your dog, is that there are numerous places for walkies. There are plenty of woodland areas and countryside galore that you and your dog can explore. Just moor up and go walkies. Many of the pubs and cafes at the locks are also dog friendly.

So, we hope to see many of our doggie guests on a boating holiday on the Thames this year. For more information about narrowboat holidays on the River Thames, click here.

Narrowboat holidays are for all the family and are increasingly popular, especially with the lovely summer weather we had last year. All the family can enjoy a river boat cruise and that includes the most important member of the family, your dog.

January Winter Sale – save up to £250 on a River Thames Boat Holiday

For larger groups of over 6 people (up to 11 in total) pay only the price for 6 people, meaning your extra guests go free (Usually £50 per extra guest)

So for large groups of 11 people, this means that 5 people go free saving £250.

This offer is valid only for bookings made before the end of January 2015 and for holiday dates March – 23rd May 2015. Offer expires 30th January

So, if you’re planning a River Thames Boat Holiday as a hen party idea or a get-to-gether of family and friends, call us now or book on line. When booking on line, book for 6 people and in the comment box on the booking form quote large group deal and the total number in your party.

Self catering canal boat holiday -Gina 2

River Thames Boat Cruise – A Perfect way to celebrate a birthday

So, spring is here and so are the April showers! We always think of getting outdoors and booking somewhere when the sun shines. We were amazed yesterday, with all that rain, that our phone didnt stop ringing and people wanted to book a cream tea river cruise on the Thames or a Day On the Thames Boat cruise. Just goes to show that a bit of rain doesn’t put people off when it comes to planning that all important birthday for a family member. This year has been popular for 70th birthdays in particular and 60th birthday parties have been booked on our skippered hire boat Geanna for a weekend celebration.

Booking a chartered boat cruise on the Thames is a great way for all the family to enjoy time together and to celebrate a special birthday. It is ideal for all ages and also children and we can take up to 12 people per cruise in total, an ideal number for small gatherings and for spending quality time together. Many guests ask us, is it suitable to bring children? We always say yes! Life jackets are provided for children to wear as a safety precaution and we have on board activities for them to do whilst underway, whether its identifying all the different types of bird life, rope skills, learning how to drive a boat, we try to get them involved.

More senior members of the family particularly enjoy a day out on the Thames without having to walk too far. The inside of the boat is always warm with the fuel burner fire (in the cooler months) and our new outside canopy means that what ever the weather, you can still sit out side and enjoy the picturesque views of the English countryside, only ever seen by boat on the River Thames. The other question we always get asked is: “Is there a toilet on board?” the answer is ‘Yes’ so no need to worry.

The summer will soon be here and we have been told by the media that it’s going to be a hot dry summer. Well…… we can hope. It will be here soon though and if you haven’t planned anything for mum’s 70th birthday or Grandad’s 80th birthday, then why not check out our Day On The Thames River Cruise or for a shorter 2 hour cruise our Cream Tea River cruise with bubbly

MyRiverCruising is now officially an RYA Training Centre

MY RIVER CRUISING TRAINING CENTRE

We are delighted to announce that we are now up and running as a training centre for Inland Waterways boat tuition. Having been recognised by the RYA as a training centre, we are now able to offer boat tuition on narrowboats and widebeam boats.

One of the main reasons for offering tuition and enabling our students to do the Inland Waterways Helmsman course and crew course is to promote safety on the water. By giving our boating holiday guests training, we hope to achieve a high level of safety and to give our guests knowledge, boat handling skills and confidence while out on the water, whether it’s on our holiday self drive narrowboat boat Gina or on guests’ own boat.

We are in the process of putting together a holiday package that combines a boating holiday with the 2 day Inland Waterways Helmsman course. This is ideal fo novice boaters who may not be confident but will come away with learnnig a range of boating skills and will also be able to gain the Inland Waterways Helmsman certificate. Family members not wanting to do the helmsman course can still come away with a Crew certificate, giving them credit for their aquired crew skills and water safety knowledge.

Those of you not wishing to do a boating holiday can still book a 2 day course and complete the RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman course. The ratio for all courses is 1 instructor to 3 students.

Boating holidays on the River Thames are so much more enjoyable when you have the skills to helm the boat and crew safely, taking the worry and stress out of your holiday. So many of our guests have never driven a boat before and we hope to offer them a holiday that combines gaining recognition for their newly aquired boating skills and an enjoyable narrowboat holiday on the River Thames too. See our courses here.